Rebels Loom Large at Bucharest Film Festival

The seventh One World Film Festival in Bucharest takes a look at the turbulent times that post-Communist countries have faced in the last quarter-century.

Marian Chiriac

Bucharest

Some 50 movies about human rights will feature in this year's One World Film Festival running from March 17 to 23 in Bucharest, Romania.

The theme for this year, "Kino Kombat", looks at what happended during the last 25 years in Eastern Europe.

“In recent months, the streets have been filled with people who’ve found causes worth fighting for. For the first time since 1989, a wind of solidarity blows … We’ve gathered films that look back on this quarter-century and on what happened before in Eastern Europe,” the festival organizers say.

“One World Romania investigates the dishonest state born from a marriage between corruption and injustice and forms a portrait of the rebels who have found their causes,” they add.

To lighten up the menu, the festival has a special section of films that talk about love, which is also described as a “human right”.

Polish director Marcel Lozinski is the special guest of this year’s festival, which is dedicated to the memory of the Czech writer, dissident and president Vaclav Havel.

The organizers are One World Romania Association and the Czech Center Bucharest, with support from various businesses and institutions.

In recent years, the festival has become the most important film event in Southeastern Europe showcasing human rights movies.